3/13/19
Cook’s Corner
Betty
Kaiser
Uh, oh!
Sunday, February 27, snowflakes greeted us as we left church. As long-time
residents at Cottage Grove Lake, we have learned to go into survival mode when
it snows. Inevitably, we will lose power, whatever the conditions. So, we made
sure that we had groceries, bottled water and that the car was gassed up. We
headed home, walked in the door, and the power went off. Groan.
Living
in the country I have put to good use my Girl Scout motto to “Be Prepared.” And
my husband was a Boy Scout. Together we make a great team. Following are some
ways for all of us to be prepared for winter living. It may be a little late
for this year but it’s never too late to be prepared. You may never need this
stuff, but you’ll have it “just in case.”
We
Kaisers have a small generator that enabled us to go 11 days without
electricity. That still meant that we had no heat, no shower, no oven to cook
in, no telephone and more. It also meant that we needed copious amounts of
gasoline to keep Genny the generator running intermittently.
Because
I went to the grocery store just as the storm started, I had stocked up on
bananas, bread, frozen stir fry meals, soups from the deli, canned meats, etc.
Mostly we just ate simple stuff from the freezer because Genny generator
allowed us to use the microwave and one burner on the stovetop. A sample recipe
is at the end of this column.
Now,
giving advice after a storm is sort of like locking the barn door after the
horse has runaway. However, just in case
you need a be-prepared-refresher course, here are some basics to stock up on
for another unexpected 3-11-day Snowmageddenl:
OUTSIDE:
Firewood
for wood stove (we almost ran out!)
Fire
Logs (backup)
Full
tank of gas in car
Full
5-gallon gas cans for generator (thanks to our friends)
Tire
chains (a 4-wheel drive Jeep)
Snow
Shovel and strong back (or neighbor)
Bags
of sand (didn’t use)
Cooler
to fill with ice or snow
A
camp stove to cook on
INSIDE:
Non-electric
light sources. i.e. Battery-operated lanterns, flashlights
Wireless
or battery-operated RADIO
Batteries
for everything (we didn’t have ‘C’ for our radio!)
Matches
and lighters for candles, firewood, etc.
First
Aid Kit
Extra
blankets, warm jackets, hats, gloves
COMMUNICATION
Good
luck! Phones will and do go down
Internet
only if generator is on and sometimes not then
PEOPLE
FOOD:
Think
non-perishables and ready-to-eat like canned soup, chicken, tuna, salmon,
beans, fruit, crackers, energy bars, peanut butter, cookies!
BABY
FOOD and supplies
PET
FOOD and supplies
WATER:
1 gallon per person, per day; juices, instant
coffee, tea bags.
MEDICATION:
Try and
keep at least 10 days on hand at all times
TOILETRIES:
Keep an
ample supply of toilet paper on hand, wipes and hand sanitizers.
REFRIGERATION
(it will go out with when generator is turned off)
Put
meat, etc. in coolers outside in the snow.
We had
intermittent electric, so I put bowls of snow in our frig and freezer, changing
daily. It worked!
Whew.
Now that we’re all up-to-date on how to stock up for a snow storm, let’s eat!
Following is a one-pot chicken chili dish that everyone will love.
WHITE
CHICKEN CHILI
1
tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup
frozen whole kernel corn
1 large
red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
1 small
onion, diced
1
Tablespoon chili powder
2 cups
shredded cooked chicken OR
1 can
(12.5 oz) Swanson white chicken
1 can
Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup
Pace Chunky Salsa
1 cup
water
2 cans
(15 ounces ea.) white cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
1 can
tomatoes (with juice and liquid); or Rotel tomatoes.
Add
garlic salt and pepper to taste
GARNISH:
2 green
onions, sliced
Cheddar
Cheese to taste
Heat the oil in a 3-quart saucepan
over medium-high heat. Add corn, green peppers, diced onion and chili
powder. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken.
Stir in the soup, salsa, water,
tomatoes and beans in the saucepan and heat to a boil. Reduce the
heat to low. Cover and simmer for awhile. Serve hot, topped with
the cheese and green onions.
Note: If you like a hotter chili, I
substitute white chili beans for the cannellini. Season to your taste, garnish
and serve with crackers. Serves 4-5.
Contact
Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner
by email bchatty@bettykaiser.com
